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Ed Cole took photographs of the collection in 1991 to orient Minneapolis Saint Paul employees to the different products made over the years. Toro has now closed the South Bend plant. The museum tractors were at the Ireland Road plant, the dusty ones were at the distribution warehouse in Elkhart. Ed’s photos are shown as forty-four images in the gallery album “Wheel Horse, Inc. Museum Tractors.†What is the disposition of these tractors today? Has the collection been scrapped or sold? Are they available for the public to see?

I got to thinking a few months ago that it might be interesting to use the family tree concept to map out the entire wheel horse family. It's easy to plot right from an RJ up to a black hood knowing that they evolved into round hoods, short frame, long frame, hydros, etc, etc I'm up for drawing this up, but might just need a little help as whilst I know my wheel horse onions - I'm by no means an expert I think as a point of reference it could be incredibly useful esp. when it comes down to swapping out engines, transmissions, etc. Here's a quick sketch of what I was thinking, thoughts??

I did repairs on Lionel trains in the late 80s and early 90s before the electronics took over and made train repair impossible,"taycotrains" was the name of my side business. TAYlor COmpany TRAINS .....The name just stuck.

That is so cool Scott! I'm sure it makes the kids proud and they deserve it. It goes without saying that this entire forum is proud of them and of you as well. What you are doing for these kids is just something we don't see anymore.

Well I must admit that I have dropped the ball on updates. For our loyal followers, we are still plugging away and making progress. The end is in sight!!!!! We managed to meet the entire summer and only took a couple weeks off. We didn't miss a beat once school began again in the middle of August. Things have been very hectic on my end and I apologize for not sharing the updates that many of you look forward to on a weekly basis. I will try and pick up the slack! We have been lucky enough to show off our projects in two parades, received many compliments, and a group of kids that don't understand the word "quit" Thank you to everyone that has supported us......who would have ever thought things would have turned out the way they have. We are truly blessed! Here is one picture I snapped tonight. The past two days the tractors have been on display in the front entry way of the school so the entire student body can admire the craftsmanship of the kids. We will be rolling them back in to the club barn tomorrow to work on getting these closer to completion. I will try and get some other pictures posted soon! Here you go...........

I had to go over to the neighbors this evening. His "Orange" tractor won't move. Yep.... he was correct. So I pulled 6 crazy hairpins and removed the deck. Then I grabbed the steering wheel to tip it and put blocks under the wheels so I could look under it ............ I about flipped it over on me when I gave it a good yank. WOW.... that's light! Anyhow ... the problem is a melted plastic idler pulley. The bearing is not smooth. Comparison.... The "RED" one ready to work. The "Orange" one napping.

He can talk about it here, we have the other brands section. If someone gets offended that's their problem, people can do whatever makes them happy. I do most of my mowing with a Cub Cadet Commercial zero turn, wouldn't want to get the Horses dirty you know.

Been my nickname for a long time. Went to get personalized license plate for the bike, Burly had already been taken by some woman in Cleveland who already had the plate, so we improvised, came up with Brrly1 and thats me and has been since I landed the first computer that my kid sister gave me, with her thinking I needed to be knowledgeable about computers. So here I am Brrly1 P.S. Some woman in Cleveland with a nickname of burly scares the daylights out of me just thinking about it.YIKES!!

Found a tractor listed on CL with snow cab and two stage blower, less than 100 hours on unit. Older gent moving from WI to AZ, he had purchased new for $5500 in '96 per dealer receipt, owner's manual, and service records. It had never spent a day outside of his garage. Thought I had uncovered The Great Find, and started dreaming about owning a near mint show tractor driving over to his house, caller #1 baby! As we were opening his garage, he first mentioned that it had gotten "a little rusty" from the salt on his driveway. Soon discovered that would be like saying Dolly Parton is a "little busty." There wasn't a piece of tin on it that wasn't covered with rust and bulged up paint scabs over top of rust; it had even undermined the decals. It started okay, but moved really slow even at full throttle. That is the second 520H I've passed over that went really slow even pushing the hydro lever forward, and I thought they were supposed to go even faster than my 8 speeds? He said; "I didn't bother to wash it because I didn't know anybody collected Wheel Horse." So, for lack of a hosing off each Spring, that ultra low hour garage queen was ruined by rust... I was distressed, and I figured that after the rust pits the metal that bad, and the chrome air cleaner is solid rust and even the hood louvers are all rusty, it wasn't worth even $1K to me. I suppose some would have parted it out and made money, but I was too disappointed and figured maybe someone better equipped could restore it... Sorry if this is posted in the wrong section. "wyzmark"

Scott, you are the kind of teacher that makes kids want to go to school. You epitomize the dedication one looks for in a teacher. Your dedication to these children will remain in their memories long after you are in another place. They will tell their grandchildren about you and I bet a few of them are inspired to become teachers themselves and carry on the fine tradition you have instilled in them.

Some may not like the Briggs but I bought my GT 1800 BRAND NEW in 1984 and mowed commercially with it for almost ten years. Also tilled countless gardens, plowed tons of snow. That ole' gal still runs like a top and is currently resting comfortably with a 50" mid mount grader blade that gets some occasional use. They may not be red but those tractors are Wheel Horse through and though!!

A lot of the equipment was indeed restored. There was a Horse Sense article in about 1988 that told of a fellow named Gary who restored some items for the museum at Ireland rd. Geez, I've been at this a long time. Since 1987! Steve

When Toro moved out of South Bend they put these tractors on loan to the Studebaker National Museum. The museum displayed a handful of them on and off for years, but obviously their focus was on a different kind of old iron. So the majority of them sat in storage in the attic. In 2000 (I think) at one of the first WH shows in PA I heard from Ed that these were at the studebaker museum after I asked him whatever happened to the tractors displayed at the Ireland rd plant. In the winter of 2000 my wife was interested in a job in South Bend, so I called the museum and was put in touch with one of the caretakers who showed me around. It was awesome. Not all of them were property of Toro as I recall, like the 420lse which was owned by the city of SB. As a side note, my wife had planned to cancel her interview but I told her I was going to the museum whether she went up there or not since I was really looking forward to it and had made plans already. She decided "what the heck" and went for the interview. We moved up there in the summer of 2001. Anyway, the museum rotated the tractors thru the displays when they featured things like "Made in South Bend". Lathes, sporting goods, Oliver plows, etc. In about 2005 Toro had the trucks that delivered equipment to the Indy 500 pick up the collection and take it to their hq in Bloomington, MN. Great pictures! Steve

I know you want that Geno.

Not until you get a two place Wheel Horse snowmobile trailer.....

Funny you should say that Kerry, I have been thinking about a Wheel Horse powered wheel lathe I might have the use of a big lathe in a couple of weeks for cutting the centers out, if not I will be doing something like this.. The axle stand is for illustration purposes only Thanks Nick, I'm guessing you like Project "Why Not" The next step is on the way. Thanks Mark, it's nice to finally see this project moving in the right direction.. And on to today's fun and games, starting with the remains of the frame that the engine top mount was once attached to.. I only needed the threaded tube bit's.. You can just about see it in this balancing act of bits of metal.. Its the bit with the masking tape on it that was being marked out for more trimming. After a day of careful measuring, cutting, welding and getting really confused until I realized the radiator is mounted on the engine an inch more to the right than left (why did Honda want everything on the outside of this engine offset from the center?), I had come up with most of the engine mounting frame.. I still need to make some cross members for it, but I'm happy with how it's turning out As I'm only using one of the engine mounting places at the top of the engine, I will be making some mounts which will go forward from the threaded stud and join onto my engine frame. So does the hood still fit? That would be a Yes

Purdue, Iowa, Western Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan St., Maryland, Navy, Wichigan, Minnesota, Texas St., Penn St., Missouri, Nebraska. Using a two-headed coin to pick em this week..

You can post the brand. The worse that will happen here is some good natured ribbing. There are a lot of older garden tractors that are fine machines. You just have to look past the John Deeres, Bolens, etc. that they sell at the big box stores now. One that comes to mind is an old (early 60's I think) Bolens my wifes grandfather had. It was very stout and had a differential locking feature I thought was cool. Take a look at one of the forums that covers all brands and you'll see some neat stuff. I think quite a few here have other brand(s) as well and there's nothing wrong with that.

Read My Signature!

There you have it! Only 1 person owns something other than a Wheel Horse!!!

She was the big hairy one at Sturgis!

Yes...but if you still have the trans attached to the frame...it works both ways. I always like being on top. I lied...I like the bottom also. Best answer...just like taping in a bearing. I use a punch (with a good edge)...you can see where you need to tap it and you can see if it is going in straight.

Jeesh! Tough crowd! Can't a girl get a break for burning her hand? It's tough to produce a video with one hand! So, here it is. Ed, it probably still wasn't worth getting up early for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plLoCF6tJpw

The 520H snow blower project is finished waiting for snow and the MTD 700 is cleaned and oiled and actually mowed the lawn Sat. So, today was the Commando's turn. This I what I started with. It actually runs and drives. After about 2 hours, I had this. An hour later Some of the crud I found Wonder how long it's been since this horse saw some maintenance. Hard to believe it could actually run in this condition.

Before I start putting the Kohler back together tomorrow night I thought I'd ask the experts and see if there are any tips, tricks, pointers, or information that I'll need before reassembly? I used my ball hone on the cylinders and made sure all the fins were clean tonight. Hit the Head gasket Mating surfaces with a straight edge and some emery cloth ... 220 grit. I hope to put the case back together tomorrow night, and get the jugs on as well ... Look forward to the input, and of course... I'll get pictures for ya'll ...cause w/o pictures... It didn't happen right? Thanks for the Information, in advance. S.

I got my RR from Caltric thru Amazon. Onan 16-24 HP 191 1747,2106,2208...$19 w/free shipping...3day delivery. Note the two outside lugs are the AC from the alternator and the center lug is the DC to charge the battery. The rear outside lug also goes to the tach signal.

That round hole toward the front is the air duct to the air cleaner.

Where do the implements go? What size deck does it take? I see it has a fork lift attachment in the front.

Geno, if it helps check out my 416 rebuild. the p216 Onan is almost exactly the same as the p220 in the horses. I have a bunch of detail pics and while a new engine harness was made up for mine, i kept most everything how it originally was. if you start from roughly here you should find what you need......

They look great Scott

If the mounting holes were elongated they must have been loose at some point. You should be fine to just use it as is, once you tighten the rods they wont move arond. Wet sanding is easy, just dont spend too much time on the corners or edges and make sure the paint is cured.

Good one ^ Even if it wasn't genuine , I'd restore it just 'cause the front axle steers .

Measured the drive pulley and it was 2.31" at the bottom of the "V". I have a parts tractor with some goodies left on it, so I measured that pulley. It was almost 4", so I put it on the B-100. WOW..It pulls hills like a new machine, and it will do a wheelie! I am using the TORO belt that was said to fit this machine....Now it fits!

Probably not anymore...huh Geno?

Colgate WI. Nice pic.... you don't see the wide tracks very often. The 399 was the biggest they made in 1972. There was a 440 in 1970. There have been several posted up here over the years.

Yeah, good luck getting that right... you're not gonna forget our six toed cousins are you?

Wow, Wow, Wow. What a great job. You are just moving along one step at a time and this is going to be one great project when it is finished. Can't wait to see the next step.

What year model is you 312-8 ? If it's 1988 or later it could be the "Damper Cylinder" is worn out. It attaches to the back of the idler bracket. Just remove it the clutch will still work, but don't drop the clutch when letting it out or you'll be doing a wheelie. The Damper Cylinders were not on the early 312-8.

5' 19" tall and been answering to Shorts for 40 plus years, I cant tell the whole story on a family forum

OK guys if you need to hit the streets - - today is going to be excellent for finds.. Word on the street is "Geno is working until 10:00 Pm" . Be safe out there. !!!

I love those that were filled with raspberry jelly. Those were the best ,, thanks for whoever bought

Some just don't appreciate things... If I pay 5500 for something... It's getting Waxed and a friggin blanket at night! Good luck in your search... Keep trying you'll find one...

Don, It's the same engine family. The Legacy is rated at 27hp so that could account for some difference. The 5xi Kohler has a muffler shield where the Legacy does not. This is a photo of the Legacy. There is NO clearance from the firewall. The engine needs to be pulled for sure. The Simplicity Legacy is what the 5xi should have been: 3-Point Hitch, 4WD option, additional hydraulics, larger tires, etc. Of course, it would have cost even more brand new. John

Poor thing. Good to see you showing it some love Ed.

So no one thinks I'm a sand-bagger and because I'm shocked that Cutler played for the 49ers last night I'll pick now before all the key players get hurt in pratice. No monkeys were consulted with these picks: Perdue,Iowa, Western Ill., Wisc., Mich St, Syr, Rutgers, Mich, Minn, Illnois, Penn St.,Mizzou, Nebraska

You will need some potatoes to go along with that chicken, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsh-BI2LDD8 Nice job on the video!

If he had his Cutler jersey on, he would have been knocked over when the snow hit him. The Black Hawks jersey would have saved him!

While we did find alcohol to be an essential element in processing the chickens, we found a far more beneficial use for it than setting it afire!